When Will I See You Again?
by RandomFanFiction
Summary: This summer was supposed to be different, With the school year over, Clare Edwards looked forward to the best time of her life. But her plans are shattered by a series of unexpected events. First, horrible news threatens to rip her boyfriend away, then someone new enters her life, leaving Clare in a world of confusion. Before this summer is over Chare's life will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I know I never updated "Trip to the states" but I will. Someday :P Anywho, This is my new story some of the ideas are from this cool book I'm reading but for the most part. It's mine. Well I'm gonna get to the story now. Enjoy deeply.**

Narrator's POV

"Girls can you come here for a moment?" Clare Edwards glanced at her sister Darcy, wondering if she knew what their mother wanted them for. Darcy fourteen years old and two years younger than Clare, shrugged her shoulders and went down stairs. They noticed, their mom and dad sitting at the diner table holding hands. Both sisters were truly confused now but took a seat nonetheless. Mother Edwards looked up and nervously said "Me and your father have been doing a lot of thinking lately," Clare's father nodded gently, holding her hand tighter. "We've decided to give our marriage a second chance." Clare's heart jumped into her throat and Darcy nearly fell out of her chair. "Really?!" Darcy cheered, putting her hands on either side of her face as if she could barely believe what she just heard. "That's right," Her dad added. "We've been going to counseling and we're gonna try and make it work for us, for you two and for Grandma." Dad's blue eyes glistened he meant every word. Only months ago, he had reappered after five-year absence. Clare was just eleven years of age when he abandoned the family. For years, on end she would make up stories as to why he left. But later when she found out that he had taken off with another woman, Clare decided she would never forgive him for the hurt he caused. Then last fall, he ca,e back like a complete stranger one night. Since that day, he did everything he could to help Clare, Darcy and their mother, he apologized to each of them, and swore to be a father again. At first, Clare did not believe him, but months had passed and he was still there. Offering advice, support and love. And now this. "Guys I understand this might be hard, dificult even, I'm not going to forget what your father did, and I don't expect you to either," Mom added, looking at ger husband, "But he's a different man now. I belive what he says, and we both want us to be a family again." Before Mom finished her sentence Darcy got up and hugged her parents, "I'm so happy," She repeated over and over again. Clare quickly followed, putting her arms around her parents. The years of bitterness seemed to thaw in the embrace. Even though part of her was still upset at her father, another bigger part was thrilled that he was back and that he wanted to be with them. "There's something else we want to tell you," Mom said, pulling away gently from the hug. "We're moving." "What?!" Clare yelled, petending to be surprised. Her father had admitted to Darcy and Clare that he wanted to move the family out of their old apartment and into a nearby house. He had even taken Clare and her sister to see the house, though he never promised them he would but it. "We found a small house a few blocks away. It's so close you two will still be able to go to Degrassi High school, but it has more room and a nice little yard for Grandma," Mom explained. "We'll be moving in about a week." "I can't believe this. Wait till I tell everyone at school!" Darcy said with a toothy smile. Clare agreed. She couldn't wait to tell her friends about the sudden changes in her life. As she got ready for bed that night, Clare wondered if there were any other surprises in store for her in the days ahead.

The next morning, Clare raced off to Degrassi, eager to tell her boyfriend Jake the good news about her family. Over the past year, Clare and Jake had become very close. Months ago, he helped her deal with the sudden arrival of her father and was supportive weeks later when Darcy ran away from home. Clare got even closer when his father Glan got diagnosed with cancer earlie in the year. At least now, Clare figured, she had good news to share with him. As she reached school, Clare spotted Jake driving his red pick-up truck into that Degrassi Student parking lot. "Jake!" She cried, running over to him. "I've got the best news! My parents are getting back together, and we're moving into a new house with a backyard and everything!" Jake gave Clare a hug, but she felt right away there was something wrong. His arms were dead like weights around her, and the embrace did not last long before Jake pulled away. "That's great, Clare," he replied, locking the doors to his truck. He began to talk away ahead, shoulders down and staring at the ground. Clare remained a few steps behind, stunned. "Jake, is everything okay?" Jake stopped and slowly turned to look at her. "D-dad c-can't handle the job like he used to," said Jake, stuttering as he often did when nervous, "not since the chemotherapy t-treatmeants. That cance really whipped him bad. He works two or three hours then he's no good for the rest of the day." Clare walked up to Jake and took his hand. "I'm sorry, Jake," she said, suddenly feeling foolish. "It's not good," Jake continued, shaking his head. "Dad's brother has a store in the States. Detroit I think, they sell furniture and TV's and stuff, and he's offered Dad a job there. It would be a lot easier for him to handle, mostly keeping up with the inventory. Dad's real good with numbers. He just can't work real long hours, that's all." Clare felt as if her heart had dropped into her knees. _Detroit?_ It wasn't even in Canada, it might as well be another planet. For a second, Clare's tongue felt glued to the back of her thoat, and she was unable to speak. "So does this mean you're going to move?" she asked. "Yeah, if Dad takes the job." Jake said somberly. "He hasn't made up his mind yet. He said he has to talk to his doctors. But if he decided to take it, we would leave as soon as the school year ends." Clare's mind spun like a whirlwind. Waking up this morning, Clare felt as if her life was a wonderful upswing and nothing could go wrong. Now everything felt different. Just as quicky as she had gotten her family back. Clare was now at risk of losing her boyfriend. "I. . .I don't know what to say," Clare stammered, forcing back tears. "Nothing is definite yet," Jakw assured her. "I just wanted you to know that I might have to move away." Jake's last words to hang in the air. _Move away._ Juat minuter earlier she had so many plans for the summer. Now all that was threathened. "You can't leave Degrassi now." She declared. "I mean, don't you have a relative or someone you could live with? Maybe you could stay with Mo or something." Mo Mashkour was one of Jake and Clare's friend. H e was a bit closer to Jake though. She was sure Mo would let Jake stay with his family. Even as she spoke, Clare knew she was being selfish, but she could not stop herself. She felt as if someone was robbing her. "I can't leave my Dad, Clare. He depends on me." Jake said, stepping away from her, as if something she said pained him. "Look, I don't know how this is gonna turn out. The doctors don't even know, not yet. But if Dad has to go to Detroit, then I have to be there too. I don't want to go, but-" The school bell rang loudly, signaling the start of morning classes. "We gotta go, Clare. We'll talk about this later." Jake quickly turned and rushed into the building. Leaving Clare alone in the parking lot.

Alli Bhandari, Clare's closest friend, shook her head when Clare told her Jake might be moving. They were standing at the water fountain between classes. "Clare-bear," Alli started "Jake's father is real sick. That chemo is tough to handle. I know because one of my family members had it, went through it and haven't been the same since." "But what about _us_?" Clare wailed. "This was supposed to be our first summer together." "Listen, Clare. Right now Jake's gotta do what he can for his Dad. He's going through this, not just him. Both of them are sufferin'. Alli explained. "I know what you're saying, and I feel bad about it, espectially for his dad." Clare said, wiping her eyes. "But at the same time, I feel bad for me, too. Is that wrong, Alli? Am I a bad person to feel that way?" "No, Jake's your boyfriend. Of course you don't want to see him go! If someone told me Mike had to move, I don't know what I'd do." She admitted, giving Clare a sympathetic hug. "But you gotta put yourself in his shoes too." Clare nodded. "Thanks, Alli." She said, fighting back more tears. She knew Alli was right. Moving would be harder on Jake than anyone else. Besides worrying about his father, he would be losing everything—his school, his friends, his neighborhood, and her. But understanding Jake's troubles only made her feel worse. _What about us?_She thought to herself again, dread gathering in her chest like storm clouds in a summer sky.

After school, Clare went straight home. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Normally, she would go into her bedroom when she wanted to be alone, but now her room was cluttered with boxes in preparation for moving into the new house. Frustrated, she sat in the living room and flipped throught a magazine. Darcy arrived from school a few minutes. "Hey, Clare, guess what?" Darcy said, throwing her school bag on the couch. "Fiona Coyne, the girl who lives around the block, wants to hire you." "Hire me? For what?" Clare asked. "I hardly know her." Fiona Coyne had been a junior at Degrassi when Clare was in eighth grade. All Clare remembered about Fiona was the she had been popular until she got pregnant and dropped out of Degrassi. Once in a while, Clare saw Fiona at the grocery store, but she never said more than a quick hello. "I ran into her outside, and she told me she needs a babysitter. She asked me if you were available." Darcy said, fishing a piece of paper from her pocket. "She needs someone to watch her baby while she goes back to school. Here's her phone number. I told her you'd call her." Clare was surprised by Fiona's offer. Still, she could use the money. And working would be better than sitting around feeling sorry for herself if Jake left, she thought. "Thanks I'll call her tonight." Clare said, getting up from the couch to check on Grandma. "Hey, Grandma." Clare said, kneeling down and taking her grandmother's thickly-veined hand. "We're gonna move into our new house soon. That'll be so good. We're gonna have a backyard and you can watch the bird-" "I'm cold," Grandma declared, even though it was warm in the apartment. "Why isn't the heater on?" "I'll get your shawl, Grandma." Clare said. She went to the nearby dresser and reached into the top drawer. "Is that better?" she asked, draping the shawl on Grandma's thin shoulders. "No." She snapped. "It's still cold." Clare seemed to behaving more cranky spells latey. _Could her condition be worsening? _Clare wondered. Ever since Grandma's first stroke over a year ago, Clare feared that the family might be forced to send her to a nursing home. She imagined her grandmother calling out her name only to have a stranger to appear at her bedside. The thought of Grandma alone and frightened in unfamiliar surroundings made Clare shudder. There was no way she would allow Grandma to be put into such a place. No way.

After diner, Clare called Fiona Coyne. "Thanks for calling." Fiona said. "I guess your sister told you why I asked you to call." "Yes," Clare replied "She said you were looking for a babysitter." "That's right. I'm heading back to school this summer, and I wanted to know if you'd be interested in babysitting my son a couple days a week. He's just two years old, but he's a little angel." "I'd love to watch him for you." Clare said, trying to sound enthusiastic, though her thoughts kept drifting back to Jake. Clare agreed to visit Fiona's condo and meet the baby after school the next day. As soon as she hung up the phone with Fiona. Clare tried to call Jake, but his phone was busy. She gave up after two more attempts. _Why doesn't he call me back? _She wondered as she lay in bed that night. Her small bedroom was almost completely packed and ready to be moved. In the darkness, the shadows of boxes and the stale smell of cardboard made her room seem eerie and unfamiliar. Everything she had grown used to seemed to be changing. Some of it was good, and some was bad. But it was all different, and Clare felt powerless to stop it. "I wish things never changed." Clare whispered, thinking of Jake and wondering why he didn't call.

**Wow ok that was long :l but I hope you liked the first chapter. Now I'm more of a Cake Bro/sis relationship but I couldn't think of anyone else to be Clare's bf. Don't be bummed though Eli will be in the next chapter ;) R&R If you can bye! –R.F.F**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys so this is Chapter 2 of "When will I see you again." After fully reading Chapter 1, I saw all the errors I made :l Which sucked. Hopefully this time there's waayy less of those. *Crosses fingers and T's***

Clare's POV

-Next day-

After spending about 7 hours at Degrassi, school finally ended. I was a bit sad though, Jake hadn't come and I haven't talked to him since yesterday, And as much as I wanted to worry. I couldn't because I had to be at Fiona's at 3:45. It was 3:39. It was a pretty good distance from my apartment, but I made it there with a couple minutes to spare. I took a deep breath before gently knocking. "I'm coming." I heard a friendy voice call out. The door opened seconds later. I smiled at my old friend, though she looked a bit different from before. Her hair, was pulled up into a perfect bun, instead of her dark brown trindles she used to sport back in highschool. "Hi Clare." She said pulling me into a hug. "Hey Fiona," I replied breaking the hug, "I haven't seen you in forever." I said with a shy smile. "I know, I'm so glad you could make it, I know your probably busy with school, and friends and well life in general." I nodded. "But I'm super happy you can, oh and I have someone you should meet." Fiona said walking into a room. When she came back she was holding a toddler with brown hair and dark blue eyes. _Aww he's so cute._ "Fiona! Who's this little guy?" I asked smilling at the bueatiful baby boy she was holding. "His name is Arison Ran-milt Starkly Coyne, Ari for short." She informed me. "Wow Fiona that's some name." I said amazed "Thank you he was named after 3 people in my family, my da-" Fiona's words were cut off when a raven haired guy with most incredible green orbs I've ever seen walked inside the condo. I guess he didn't see me right away because he immediately started speaking to Fiona "I forgot my phone and if I miss this important call then-" He stopped talking after he noticed my presence. He smirked, looking me up and down. Then turned to Fiona. "Friend of yours, Fi?" He asked suggestively, I glanced at Fiona to find her eyes widen, she looked upset. "Yes, Eli she's my friend. I used to know her from _highschool." _She strained out. There was something about the way she said the sentence. It was like they were speaking another language. Hmm. After her response the 'Eli' guy's head did a slight nod. "Oh," he said "You knew her before you graduated." It came out kinda like a question. "Yeah Eli before then, don't you have some place to be?" She asked him. "Fuck," Eli said running into I guess another bedroom. "I have to go, if I'm late again my boss is gonna kill me." He stopped in front of me before he left. "It was nice meeting you-" "Clare, my name is Clare." I said looking down a bit. He smiled, and if I'm not mistaken I believe I heard him repeat it quietly to hisself. "I'm Eli, it was nice meeting you." He replied, walking out of the condo. Leaving me, Fiona and Ari alone. "Who was that Fiona?" I asked still breathing in the missing fay of the stranger I just met. "That was Eli, my friend and roomie, he was helping me out with baby Ari when he could but now he has this crazy work schedule. So I had to resort to a babysitter." Fiona explained. "Oh." Was all I could think of. I still was a bit dazed from the strangers unplanned appearance. "Yeah, so do you think you're up to it?" Fiona asked, looking hopeful. "Up to what?" I asked dumbfoundedly. She gestered to the baby. "Babysitting Ari, he's not much work, it's just hard trying to balance school and him. So?" she smiled a little waiting for me to answer. "Of course Fiona. I would love to." I replied back, happy to help out an old friend. "Yay, okay. Here." She handed me Ari. He was pretty heavy. "I have a small little list of things to do, what he eats, how much he cries, when he needs to be changed, how to-" "Whoa Fiona, slow down. How much more is on that list?" I asked. She basically just wrote every detail of her baby down. "Well I don't really remember _everything_ because I made the list up for Eli when he used to watch little Arison." Fiona said. Oh it was a list for Eli. "Okay, well where's the list?" "It's a magnet on the fridge." She stated. "Great, I'm guessing there's instructions on where to find bottles and diapers on that list too?" I asked grinning. "Yep, I had to map everything out, I have to make sure you have all the right stuff to take care of my Ari." Fiona said mothery, gazing at the 18 month old. "Don't you worry, Fiona. I used to have to watch Darcy all the time, babysitting is in my blood." I stated proudly. "Alright, Clare. I actually have to get going, don't wanna be late for my first day!" Fiona exclaimed, grabbing a designer backpack/purse off the shaggy white couch. "Bye Arison, mommy loves you. Bye Clare, this really means a lot to me!" About to depart from the condo Fiona smiled at her friend. "You're welcome Fiona, you better get going before you're late." I said smiling. "Bye." After one last fairwell, the condo door shut. Leaving me and Ari all alone. I looked at the heavy little baby in my arms, he looking just like Fiona. "It's just you and me Arison Coyne, whatdaya wanna do?" I asked the 18 month old, not really expecting a answer back. Even though I got one. He was crying. I tried everything on the list to try and calm him down. Nothing helped but for only 38 seconds then he started back up again. I soon realized after an hour of trying to get Ari to stop crying it was gonna be a long day ahead of us. I also realized an 18 month old and a 14 year old, are two very different things. _What did I get myself into?..._

***BOOM* Chapter 2! It was kinda just to intrduce Eli & Clare to eachother. Oh and I know some of this story is a bit weird like. Darcy being 14 instead of her real age. I just like the little sister/big sister thing that Maya and Katie has, So I made my story have that with Clare and Darcy. I hope you guys liked it, Chapter 3 should be up either Friday, or early Sunday. ^_^ -R.F.F.**


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